Howa?

[Mlr75]

20 in Howa 1500 .308
B&C Tactical Medalist A2 stock
Badger break
Atlas V8 bipods
Kardsten cheek piece
Howa "bottom metal"
Premier 5-25
Badger Rings
EGW 20 moa base

I became interested in precision rifle shooting about a year ago after meeting BlackWhiskey through a mutual friend. At the time I knew absolutely nothing about precision shooting or the equipment involved. He was kind enough to educate me and share his vast experience. The collective knowledge here on the Hide has also been great. Following BlackWhiskey's advice, I got started with a Howa, and he helped me get this rifle pieced together and painted. It's gone through several evolutions, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

shoots sub-moa with:
win brass
155 SMK
46 grains of Varget
Win brass
Federal 210 primers
2750 FPS (no pressure signs...kinda slow for that much Varget)

Everything but the scope and bipods totaled 1090 (including cost of threading barrel for break). It has been a great gun to get started with and i love that i can get a barreled action with a heavy fluted barrel, integrated recoil lug and m16 style extractor for well under 500 bucks out the door. Stock choices are limited, but i had a lot of fun modifying it on my own.

Next build is probably going to be a 7mm SAUM built on a Howa LA. Hopefully those berger 195's will come out soon!

 

[r33prman]

Re: Howa?

Awesome rig there mate. I'm halfway threw a howa build at the moment. I have the barreled action I'm just waiting for all the bits to get here so I can chuck it together. Glad to hear yours came out so well. Love the paint job too

 

[BlackWhiskey]

Re: Howa?

It looks and feels nothing like it did before, and I think it is a major improvement. Now you gotta get out and get your round count into the triple digits!

 

[hewlett260]

Re: Howa?

Very nice, how do you like the scope? And the cheek rest? I need to get one of those for my Howa 308.

 

[ARNEWB]

Re: Howa?

Damn nice stick.

Shoot it and start stretching its legs.

Howa seems to be a nice option to build on these days.

 

[TRAAV]

Re: Howa?

I had one I picked up from a buddy. I thought the thing was bult great. It had a great factory trigger and it shot good.

 

[mexicanmatch]

Re: Howa?

Very nice stick and the paint job looks real good. MM

 

[Cacciatore]

Re: Howa?

Have a Howa .308 myself. Great shooter but it wears a POS optic compared to your Premier!

 

[r33prman]

Re: Howa?

Where did you get that cheek peice from? What are they worth and was fitting it easy enough?

 

[BlackWhiskey]

Re: Howa?

At $60 they are work every penny, and all it takes to fit them is a pot of boiling water and tongs to dip the rest in and out. Here is a place that sells them: Karsten Cheek Rest

 

[SHWILL]

Re: Howa?

I believe the Howas/Weatherby Vanguards are some of the most overlooked rifles on the rack.

 

[ranger1183]

Re: Howa?

That's a damn nice rifle you've got there. Howa's are some of my favorite actions to build from.

 

[nashlaw]

Re: Howa?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SHWILL</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I believe the Howas/Weatherby Vanguards are some of the most overlooked rifles on the rack. </div></div>

What he said.

 

[hahco]

Re: Howa?

cool stick, I like it. I recently picked up one of the new vanguards as a hunting rifle. I was actually impressed with the fit and finish. Howa seems to make a surprisingly good product.

 

[Mlr75]

Re: Howa?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cacciatore</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have a Howa .308 myself. Great shooter but it wears a POS optic compared to your Premier! </div></div>

haha thanks... the Premier might be a little overkill ;-) I will probably put my SWFA 5-20 on it and then put the Premier on a 7mm saum build. I love guns but BlackWhiskey has turned me into an optics whore.

 

[Mlr75]

Re: Howa?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: r33prman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Where did you get that cheek peice from? What are they worth and was fitting it easy enough? </div></div>

Tactical Works.

http://www.tacticalworks.com/Karsten-Custom-Cheek-Rest/

I have the "B" model and really like it. Worth every penny and easy to heat up and fit to your gun. It's nice to have a drill press for the holes but I just used my dewalt.

 

[Mlr75]

Re: Howa?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: r33prman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Awesome rig there mate. I'm halfway threw a howa build at the moment. I have the barreled action I'm just waiting for all the bits to get here so I can chuck it together. Glad to hear yours came out so well. Love the paint job too</div></div>

Thanks for the kind words. Hope the rest of the stuff comes quickly ! Post it when you have it put together!

 

[Mlr75]

Re: Howa?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mexican match</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Very nice stick and the paint job looks real good. MM</div></div>

Thanks. Just used a couple cans of Krylon from Walmart and some Raffia from a craft store... Got some funny looks at the craft store. It helped to have guidance from a Marine Scout Sniper too

 

[Mlr75]

Re: Howa?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hewlett260</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Very nice, how do you like the scope? And the cheek rest? I need to get one of those for my Howa 308.</div></div>

I love the scope! but before shooting I was also into sports photography so I've always been a bit of a glass whore. I had a Vortex Viper PST FFP on it before and was very happy with it. The Premier is actually for another build I'm piecing together, but is a great choice from a great company.

The Karsten cheek piece is awesome. For the money you'd need to spend to get a stock with an adjustable cheek piece it makes a lot of sense as a high value option. The Kydex is easy to work with. It's also going to be wider then most internal adjustment cheek rests so, for me, it's a little more comfortable.... add a little mole skin and it's a dream.